47 replies to this topic

[puggered]

Go for it. Minis are very reliable just like any other car that is well serviced. My everyday car a few years ago was a 1962 Austin A60. This car was utterly reliable and even kept up with modern traffic! At least with the old classics there's no ecu's and nasty electronics to go wrong!

[JayShivaTime]

Lot of good points made in this thread, but of course there's little impartiality, for good reason, owning and driving a mini doesnt foster impartiality... its something of a love affair. But all the same i will step back and give it my breakdown with some negative truths becouse ive known a fair few people that have tried a mini and rejected it outright.

In a nutshell, they are a little heavy to steer, have a wide turning circle, a bumpy ride to the point where uneven tarmac feels like offroading, noisy at speed, uncomfortable for long distance, very limited for boot space, has a petrol tank that holds half the capacity of most cars, they are rust prone if you cant keep them under cover, the heater system is basic with following settings: blast hot, blast cold, OFF. Not much ground clearance and its a low ride so dipped headlights dazzle... there's prob more fair criticism of the mini but pretty much covers what you should know.

BUT.. on the flip side, mini's have an intangible personality about them thats rarely found with other cars. A testamont to that is that its the norm for any mini driver to flash or nod to any other mini driver, the only other group to my mind where that exists to this extent is motorbikers. They are great cars for learning basic mechanics and saving money by learning jobs, and as i worked in motor factors for some time i can tell you that most of the service parts are a fraction of the cost of other cars. They are fun to drive, something akin to a go kart. A mini is without doubt an iconic car that exudes sociability and fun, it just gets a positive reaction accross the board, driving past pedestrians, bystanders ... it exudes an uplifting charisma.. i mean, its just a CAR at the end of the day, but the amount of conversations thats been instigated with strangers admiring the car for one reason or another. You just dont get that with a Ford fiesta.

Well anyway, thats as pretty much a straight shooting account as i can articulate on the matter. If you do go the mini route i suggest you put a little money investment into two things to compliment it. A haynes manual (i've bought one for every car ive owned actually) and a copy of 'The Italian Job' , the original of course.

[andymini12]

Lot of good points made in this thread, but of course there's little impartiality, for good reason, owning and driving a mini doesnt foster impartiality... its something of a love affair. But all the same i will step back and give it my breakdown with some negative truths becouse ive known a fair few people that have tried a mini and rejected it outright.

In a nutshell, they are a little heavy to steer, have a wide turning circle, a bumpy ride to the point where uneven tarmac feels like offroading, noisy at speed, uncomfortable for long distance, very limited for boot space, has a petrol tank that holds half the capacity of most cars, they are rust prone if you cant keep them under cover, the heater system is basic with following settings: blast hot, blast cold, OFF. Not much ground clearance and its a low ride so dipped headlights dazzle... there's prob more fair criticism of the mini but pretty much covers what you should know.

BUT.. on the flip side, mini's have an intangible personality about them thats rarely found with other cars. A testamont to that is that its the norm for any mini driver to flash or nod to any other mini driver, the only other group to my mind where that exists to this extent is motorbikers. They are great cars for learning basic mechanics and saving money by learning jobs, and as i worked in motor factors for some time i can tell you that most of the service parts are a fraction of the cost of other cars. They are fun to drive, something akin to a go kart. A mini is without doubt an iconic car that exudes sociability and fun, it just gets a positive reaction accross the board, driving past pedestrians, bystanders ... it exudes an uplifting charisma.. i mean, its just a CAR at the end of the day, but the amount of conversations thats been instigated with strangers admiring the car for one reason or another. You just dont get that with a Ford fiesta.

Well anyway, thats as pretty much a straight shooting account as i can articulate on the matter. If you do go the mini route i suggest you put a little money investment into two things to compliment it. A haynes manual (i've bought one for every car ive owned actually) and a copy of 'The Italian Job' , the original of course.

I have a mini im 15 and think there great easy to work on fun to, parts are cheap. i wouldn't say the steering is that heavy and i prefer it to power steering you know what is happening with the car and can feel the road more. again suspesion is a bit hard but again i prefer that as it does not feel like you are in a boat like alot of new cars !. and also heater is easy to modify to make it 2 speed and have the first speed at a nice slow speed like i have done and you can modernise them to be honest if you want.

[ldorbin]

very good points made i am now saving up for my mini

[jessicabown]

For Insure i will prefer short term car insurance always

[ldorbin]

they say that they only insure 18 year olds to 75 year olds would they insure someone at 17 if you rang up?

[project mini chris]

Get One! Im 15 too and Ive had mine for 2 years!
Theyre great fun to work on (especially the welding ) give you great experience working with cars and are a great first car!
Whatever people say, the pro's of having a mini definately overwhelm the con's.

[Kermit-391]

Dude, I'm 17 and just waiting to do my test. I have a 1989 mini city. although it's only a standard 1000 my insurance is £710 third party, fire & theft on my own policy. My friend drives a pug 106 1.0L and his insurance is £3800. Oh the joys of classic car insurance!

[ldorbin]

Dude, I'm 17 and just waiting to do my test. I have a 1989 mini city. although it's only a standard 1000 my insurance is £710 third party, fire & theft on my own policy. My friend drives a pug 106 1.0L and his insurance is £3800. Oh the joys of classic car insurance!

ahh mate thats good who are you with?

[paulstokeuk]

Lot of good points made in this thread, but of course there's little impartiality, for good reason, owning and driving a mini doesnt foster impartiality... its something of a love affair. But all the same i will step back and give it my breakdown with some negative truths becouse ive known a fair few people that have tried a mini and rejected it outright.

In a nutshell, they are a little heavy to steer, have a wide turning circle, a bumpy ride to the point where uneven tarmac feels like offroading, noisy at speed, uncomfortable for long distance, very limited for boot space, has a petrol tank that holds half the capacity of most cars, they are rust prone if you cant keep them under cover, the heater system is basic with following settings: blast hot, blast cold, OFF. Not much ground clearance and its a low ride so dipped headlights dazzle... there's prob more fair criticism of the mini but pretty much covers what you should know.

BUT.. on the flip side, mini's have an intangible personality about them thats rarely found with other cars. A testamont to that is that its the norm for any mini driver to flash or nod to any other mini driver, the only other group to my mind where that exists to this extent is motorbikers. They are great cars for learning basic mechanics and saving money by learning jobs, and as i worked in motor factors for some time i can tell you that most of the service parts are a fraction of the cost of other cars. They are fun to drive, something akin to a go kart. A mini is without doubt an iconic car that exudes sociability and fun, it just gets a positive reaction accross the board, driving past pedestrians, bystanders ... it exudes an uplifting charisma.. i mean, its just a CAR at the end of the day, but the amount of conversations thats been instigated with strangers admiring the car for one reason or another. You just dont get that with a Ford fiesta.

Well anyway, thats as pretty much a straight shooting account as i can articulate on the matter. If you do go the mini route i suggest you put a little money investment into two things to compliment it. A haynes manual (i've bought one for every car ive owned actually) and a copy of 'The Italian Job' , the original of course.

"A testamont to that is that its the norm for any mini driver to flash or nod to any other mini driver, the only other group to my mind where that exists to this extent is motorbikers"


i was a lambretta rider for a while and have been looking for something my 12 year old son can enjoy too with the same social appeal as the scoot,
thats why i'm lookin to get my first mini,
its not just about the mundane drive to an from work or to the shops, its the feel of being set apart from the average motorist.

it may not be the the most luxurious why to travel,
it may be too hot in the summer,
too cold in the winter,
it might not even start at all some days.


but when it all goes right its perfect.

well thats just me .


good luck....

[Jacko-lah]

Hi guys i have just recently joined TMF and i am 15 years old i am thinking of getting a mini for my first car but i have been told not to buy one because they are not very reliable, is this true or not?

So you are in the middle of GSCE's ? My daughter had 2 exams yesterday, Chemistry and English. She's 15 too. YOU should be revising !!! ?

Who told you they are unreliable ? What experience of cars have they got? I ask this as a man who has spent too long out of financial necessity learning the hard way with only a haynes manual (pre internet) to fix all the unreliable cars that I foolishly bought with my rose tints on.

If I compare what I am able to pass on to my son, who is 18 next week, compared to what my Brother in Law, would be able to pass on to his son, who is 22 (and yet to apply for a provisional), it's a massive gapping gap.

He has NEVER weilded a spanner, or a multimeter, which is why some of the Servicing bills on a C5 come to more than a decent mini is worth outright.

I'll assume that the person who told you mini's were unreliable was the sort of person, who buys a 1 year old car on HP and has it serviced by a main dealer, and couldn't tell you the tyre pressures it should have ?

Mini's need constant attention, they were designed by Cheif Bodger Alec Issigoniss, in the 1950's and things only got slightly better over the next 40 years.

All the mini's that I owned in the 1980's and 1990's (all of them built in the 1970's) were Reliable in that they never actually stopped me getting anywhere. (Apart from a Random Head Gasket) But MOT time ? Ball Joints, brakes, and rust kept me busy. Roll on to the 1988 mayfair I bought last year in midlife crisis mode, I've had a few teething problems which I solved by throwing money at it, and throwing my time, and alot of thinking at it. 2 main faults. Drive Shaft Flange was alot of hassle, and I ended up paying someone. And rough running, which ultimately was solved by replacing alot of the ignition components, because I didn't have time or energy to work out which individual item was creating the problem.

My sister bought my son a really good tool kit, and I make sure that whenever I do anything on it that I involve him, mainly to get him used to thinking about how it works and the practicalities of fixing things. (Last weekend I had him helping put 2 new 240 V lights up in the house, so that when he leaves home he won't be afraid to do stuff)

Note that when I fix the mini, I only use his tool kit, and if there's something he hasn't got, I'll find the item in my tool kit, and I frequently If I think it's something he should have, give him it and buy myself a new one.

Conclusion ?

The mini is a reliable car, if kept up to scratch as the maker intended. It will require more maintenance than say a Nova or a corsa of a similar age.

Would I buy one as a first car ? If I had someone enthusiastic in the family or I had Friends who were into them * then yes. Be prepared to spend £100 on tools, and axle stands and trolley jack, and make sure you don't buy a dog. Buy something standard and unmolested.

[ldorbin]

Hi guys i have just recently joined TMF and i am 15 years old i am thinking of getting a mini for my first car but i have been told not to buy one because they are not very reliable, is this true or not?

So you are in the middle of GSCE's ? My daughter had 2 exams yesterday, Chemistry and English. She's 15 too. YOU should be revising !!! ?

Who told you they are unreliable ? What experience of cars have they got? I ask this as a man who has spent too long out of financial necessity learning the hard way with only a haynes manual (pre internet) to fix all the unreliable cars that I foolishly bought with my rose tints on.

If I compare what I am able to pass on to my son, who is 18 next week, compared to what my Brother in Law, would be able to pass on to his son, who is 22 (and yet to apply for a provisional), it's a massive gapping gap.

He has NEVER weilded a spanner, or a multimeter, which is why some of the Servicing bills on a C5 come to more than a decent mini is worth outright.

I'll assume that the person who told you mini's were unreliable was the sort of person, who buys a 1 year old car on HP and has it serviced by a main dealer, and couldn't tell you the tyre pressures it should have ?

Mini's need constant attention, they were designed by Cheif Bodger Alec Issigoniss, in the 1950's and things only got slightly better over the next 40 years.

All the mini's that I owned in the 1980's and 1990's (all of them built in the 1970's) were Reliable in that they never actually stopped me getting anywhere. (Apart from a Random Head Gasket) But MOT time ? Ball Joints, brakes, and rust kept me busy. Roll on to the 1988 mayfair I bought last year in midlife crisis mode, I've had a few teething problems which I solved by throwing money at it, and throwing my time, and alot of thinking at it. 2 main faults. Drive Shaft Flange was alot of hassle, and I ended up paying someone. And rough running, which ultimately was solved by replacing alot of the ignition components, because I didn't have time or energy to work out which individual item was creating the problem.

My sister bought my son a really good tool kit, and I make sure that whenever I do anything on it that I involve him, mainly to get him used to thinking about how it works and the practicalities of fixing things. (Last weekend I had him helping put 2 new 240 V lights up in the house, so that when he leaves home he won't be afraid to do stuff)

Note that when I fix the mini, I only use his tool kit, and if there's something he hasn't got, I'll find the item in my tool kit, and I frequently If I think it's something he should have, give him it and buy myself a new one.

Conclusion ?

The mini is a reliable car, if kept up to scratch as the maker intended. It will require more maintenance than say a Nova or a corsa of a similar age.

Would I buy one as a first car ? If I had someone enthusiastic in the family or I had Friends who were into them * then yes. Be prepared to spend £100 on tools, and axle stands and trolley jack, and make sure you don't buy a dog. Buy something standard and unmolested.

Yes i am in the middle of my exams got 2 chemistry exams tomorrow and a maths one on monday

as for the person who told me he is big into his cars 5 golfs, ford zodiac, E type jag, jensen 541 and a few more i cant remember he used to race formula fords and is a mechanic and also works in airbus.

some very good points made and thank you for such a helpful comment

[andymini12]

Are you in year 10 or a 11 then ?

[ldorbin]

Are you in year 10 or a 11 then ?

year 10

[Miniquick]

Welcome you should definately go for it !